Thinking of scenes as mini stories, each with a beginning, middle, and end helps writers to define the characters, plot, and subplot in a novel. A short story focuses on one plot element, and a scene should do the same thing. When scenes are written as mini stories, the plot and subplot become crystal clear for the reader, while increasing tension.
Use Goals and Conflict in Each Scene
Before writing a scene, decide which character viewpoint to use. Write down the goals of each character in that scene. For maximum tension, the characters' goals should be at odds. It's even better if each is an opposing character type. As each character tries to move toward their goals, conflict will result. That's the end of the scene.
The next scene in which the same characters appear, they should still have the same goals. However, now they need to react to the conflict that resulted from the first scene. Somewhere in this scene, the characters will need to make a decision or action. If this doesn't happen, the characters will come to a stalemate, and the story will stall.
Apply Story Arc to the Scene Structure
A traditional story arc has three acts: the beginning, the middle, and the end. The beginning is where the characters and setting are introduced, along with their goals. The middle is where the events happen that lead to the major conflict or problem of the novel. The end is the resolution to that problem.
In a scene, an author doesn't need to introduce characters and setting every time. Those story elements are already developed. But the characters need to have goals that are important to them, and those goals need to be apparent in the beginning of the scene. This doesn't mean the goals must be explicitly stated each scene, just keep the characters true to what they want. For example, if Joe's girlfriend Mary is trying to rescue him from a man-eating tiger, don't have her suddenly take a walk down memory lane or go get an ice cream. Keep her focused on saving Joe, reaching for a gun to shoot the tiger.
The middle of the scene should build the conflict, just as the second act of a novel builds in intensity. Just when it looks like the tiger is about to eat Joe, and Mary realizes the gun has no bullets, cut the scene. Move on to the next scene. Leave the reader waiting to find out what happens next. If the reader cares about Joe, and she will if the author has done a good job of character building, she'll turn the page.
The next time Joe and Mary appear in the novel, don't let the reader down. Continue by showing their reaction to the unloaded gun. Show them making a decision. Whatever the decision, it should lead to more trouble. If Mary decides to hit the tiger over the head with the gun, have the tiger turn on her. Now Joe can decide if he should run for his life and let Mary get eaten, or stay and risk his life for the woman he loves.
Use Scenes to Build Waves of Conflict
Each scene will build upon the one that came before, but each will still maintain that mini story arc. As this continues through the book, the tension will rise until the novel reaches its dark point. It will be like riding a crest of a wave that builds in power until it reaches the shore. At the dark point, the water recedes. To the unaware person, it might appear that things are going to be fine. Until you, the author, bring all the force of those waves back to shore in a tsunami, the climax of the story.
The last scenes are the resolution, the cleanup after the tsunami. In the case of a multi-book series, some of the lesser conflicts should be left unresolved, to be picked up in the next novel.
Applying a story arc in this way makes each scene a compact unit that combines with the others to build a fascinating and riveting story. Write each scene with short story elements, pulling it all together with an overarching novel theme.
Suzanne Pitner - Suzanne Pitner is a teacher and published writer. A member of RWA and YARWA, she writes fiction as Suzanne Lilly.
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